Top-Notch Customer Service Through ERP

Top-Notch Customer Service Through ERP

Top-Notch Customer Service Through ERP2019-05-142019-05-07https://www.salespad.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/salespad_mainlogo.pngSalesPadhttps://www.salespad.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/top-notch-customer-service.jpg200px200px

Top-notch customer service is one of the most important differentiators when sorting out the best from the rest in the product-centric distribution industry, or any industry. Think of your favorite companies or brands. Chances are, one thing they all have in common is a dedication to an excellent customer experience.

So how do you, as a small-to-medium-sized business, go about creating that same level of customer experience? What tools do you need to create the perfect journey for your target customer, and are those tools affordable and available to you?

We’ve put together this quick guide of what to look for in your ERP solution in order to empower your CSRs to provide the best possible experience for your customers.

Keep it together with a central location for notes, contact info, etc.

Consistency is key when dealing with a customer. When a customer calls your support team, how quickly is your CSR able to access information about what was discussed the last time this customer called? Can your CSR determine who at your company was the last person to speak with the customer? Or, worse case scenario, are you unable to access this customer’s file because Jim took a vacation, and he’s the only one who has that information?

An ERP solution that provides you with one, shared master record of customer interactions will keep your entire Customer Service team up-to-date on customer information and prepared to answer any question they may have.

When a customer calls, the last thing you want is for them to grow impatient as your CSR scrambles to figure out how to address their concern. Quick, confident, and friendly interactions with customers keep companies afloat. An ERP solution that supports centralized access to customer notes and data will enable you to provide such interactions.

Banish the mystery from customer history

This next tip goes hand-in-hand with the previous — maintain accurate, thorough transaction histories for each of your customers.

If a customer places an order, then calls back next week to say, “Put me down for two more of the same,” are you able to do that without a search through every transaction placed last week, or a hunt for whoever took down that customer’s order?

Transaction histories need to be just as accessible and shareable as interaction histories, and your ERP should provide you with this option. Attention to detail goes a long way in securing a repeat customer. Make sure you’re keeping reliable records of customer interactions and transaction history, contact information, location information, and any other customer data that is pertinent to your particular company.

Tracking all this data might sound like more work than it’s worth, but trust us — it’s worth your time. The right ERP will reward you for maintaining good customer data, and will make maintaining this data easier through the use of types and classes when dealing with your customer data sets.

Reward them with special pricing, discounts, and more

Everyone loves a reward. Purchasing 4 avocados for that pot of guacamole you’re making tonight might be enough for the recipe you’re using, but if purchasing 5 gets you 10% off the entire purchase, well, it’d be a waste not to get that fifth avocado, right?

Loyalty programs, special pricing, custom discounts, and adjustable payment terms are all features you should be able to offer your customers through your ERP solution. Such options create arich, satisfying experience for your customers and encourage them to come back to you when they need more product.

Going the extra mile to prove you’re willing to work with your customer is a great strategy when seeking to provide the best customer experience possible.

Take the hassle out of paying up with seamless payment processing

There’s no doubt that collecting payments from customers is a complicated process. There’s a lot to consider — from PCI compliance to EMV technology to whether or not you need a POS system, the factors are many and varied.

Keeping the customer experience top-of-mind when creating your payment processing setup will help enhance your customers’ experience. Make sure that the customer-facing interface is easy to use, and opt for a solution that integrates directly with your ERP solution, or that is built in to the ERP software. This will simplify the process on your company’s side, but more importantly, it will prevent hiccups that result from slow or inaccurate data transfers between your payment software and your ERP solution.

Find the ERP solution that is right for both you and your customers

Following these four guidelines will help you leverage your ERP solution to create the best possible experience for your customers if your ERP software already supports these functions. Happy customers keep your business up and running — make sure you’re running an ERP suite that empowers both you and your customers.

To learn more about how SalesPad’s ERP solutions support top-notch customer service, get in touch with us! We’d love to hear from you.